Dan Raza ”Two” (Independent, 2017)

Growing up in the Home Counties to British & Indian descent, Dan Raza is a soft-sounding songwriter of sincere disposition. His record ”Two” is an impressive mix of musical styles and instrumentation, from the electric organ to the accordion and fiddle. This creates an interesting listen and an intriguing record. Silent’s The Night Wind kicks off the record, with an acoustic, sincere vibe. This is a good introduction to Dan as a writer and musician, with a whole host of influences, from celtic folk to the classic rock organ. This erupts in Payday which is a blues-rock song with a slight twist of heavy fiddle in the verses and Dan’s vocals not quite possessing the depth or grit to make it quite as deep as Rock ‘n  Roll goes.

Old Ways returns to acoustic backing and earnest vocals. This has more power than Silent’s The Night Wind and a slightly more emotional delivery, slightly straining Dan’s soft voice. The effect is great, and paves the way for the rest of the record to flourish, having seen these different sides of his repertoire.

Midnight And The Wine changes up again, and is a fully-fledged country song, equipped with wonderful steel guitar, guitar and a swing rhythm. Dan’s vocals suit this beautifully, much more convincingly than even a lot of American voices do, which is very impressive.

“Two” is an accomplished record, not diverting too far from its roots,  providing enough variety in musical styles to show Dan flexing his creative muscles.  Dan is one to watch, and I certainly will.